Hallowe'en
by 741N73D 4N63L
Summary: Penelope closes her eyes and counts to three before asking: "Jack, were you fighting again?" Jack sighs. "Kind of…" "Oh honey," She sighs. "You can't kind of fight, you were either fighting or you weren't. "It's not really fighting, I only punched him once!" Jack Hotchner's fight with a school bully leads to a disconcerting discovery for his extended family. Black Cat AU
1. A Nasty Shock

AN: There will be two similar stories, this is the first and it diverges from canon. The second will be about Emily and her daughter Maura because Criminal Minds has written Hotch and Jack out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Catherine Jareau is mine, along with any others you do not recognize. I do not own Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

* * *

 **Hallowe'en**

* * *

"Be silent in that solitude,

Which is not loneliness—for then

The spirits of the dead, who stood

In life before thee, are again

In death around thee, and their will

Shall overshadow thee; be still."

\- Spirits of the Dead, Edgar Allan Poe

* * *

October 31, 2016

12:30 pm

I place my money on the counter and answer my phone without looking at my caller ID. "This is Dr. Jareau speaking."

"Do you still enjoying answering your phone like that?" Asks the amused voice on the other end of the line.

I smile. "Yes I do, Aaron. Is everything all right with the case?"

"Yes, we've just finished packing and are heading back to the jet, but..." He exhales noisily, "Jack got into another fight at school. Mrs. Cunningham called me even though we informed the school last week that they were supposed to call you in the event of an emergency."

I sigh. "Was it the same kid who said something about Haley last week and called me names two weeks ago?"

Aaron sighs. "I believe so."

I pick up my travel mug from the counter. "Okay, I'll head over to the school now."

Aaron sighs again. "I'm terribly sorry, Catherine. Are you finished with your appointment? I don't want you to miss it."

I turn around and head for the door. "It's okay, my appointment ended just after noon. I was just buying some tea before heading home."

"Reid is going to want me to ask…" He mumbles awkwardly.

I roll my eyes. "It's peppermint tea Aaron. I haven't had caffeine in months. Tell Spencer that if he makes you or anyone else ask again I'll have Penelope throw out the coffee he hid in his desk at work and I'll figure out how to reach the tin on the top shelf in our kitchen."

Aaron laughs. "I will, and thank you Catherine."

"You're welcome Aaron. I'll call you when I know more."

* * *

1:15 pm

"Hello again Mrs. Cunningham," I greet the main secretary with a weak smile.

Her smile is brighter. "Hello dearie, I'm sorry we're not meeting under more pleasant circumstances."

I grimace.

"It's a real shame," she continues; "Jack is usually such a well behaved young man."

I sigh. "Are we meeting in Vice Principal Elliott's office today or in one of the resource rooms?"

She shakes her head. "No. I'm afraid you, the children, and the other parents will be meeting with Principal Powell today."

Frowning, I ask: "Have they started without me?"

She nods and comes around from behind the counter. "You're the last one to arrive and Principal Powell is in rather a bad mood today dearie. It's best not to keep him waiting any longer than you already have."

I scowl. "Does Jack have another adult in there to represent him?"

She shakes her head, knocks twice on a door, and ushers me into the well-lit office. "I'll come back with a pillow for you," she whispers to me and disappears.

I quickly take in the room: one middle-aged man of medium build with grey flecked hair behind the desk: Principal Powell, check. One slender dark haired woman standing behind a seated and equally dark haired boy - Mrs. Dempster and the little terror - check and check. Then there is Jack sitting in the other wooden chair, check, and another middle-aged man whom I cannot see properly as his back is to me, and a small dark haired child peeking out at me from under his arm; two unknowns. Check and check. Oddly enough there is also the remains of what appears to be a blonde wig next to the unknown man's foot.

Principal Powell looks me up and down, frowning, "Mrs. Hotchner I presume."

Jack flinches.

The little terror smirks.

"Actually it's Dr. Jareau," I answer, and take a slow, deliberate step further into the office.

Jack gets up from his chair.

"Sit down, Mr. Hotchner!" The Principal thunders.

Jack ignores him and crosses the room in four quick steps. He helps me out of my coat and leads me calmly to the chair he had previously occupied.

I squeeze Jack's hand both reassurance and in thanks.

"Mr. Hotchner!" Powell's face is red with barely controlled fury.

Jack straightens up and faces him before responding coolly, "Dr. Jareau is pregnant, sir. She needs to sit down."

I try not to laugh, as I don't truly require assistance. _I know that Aaron spoke with Jack again before he left on this last case because Jack has been mothering me even more over the last week than in the past month._

Principal Powell glowers at me. "Where is Mrs. Hotchner? I think she should be here since Mr. Hotchner refused." He reaches for the phone on his desk. "I should have Mrs. Cunningham call him again."

I scowl back at him. "Mrs. Hotchner died several years ago and Mr. Hotcher is currently on a plane and can not be reached." I continue in a more pleasant tone: "I think if you were to check Jack's file you would see that I am listed as the third emergency contact, after his father and his aunt."

Mrs. Cunningham opens the door again, without knocking, and motions Jack over.

He walks to her with a quizzical look on his face and a quick glance over his shoulder at Principal Powell, who is still grumbling at me, and doesn't acknowledge her or Jack. Mrs. Cunningham hands Jack a pillow for me. He grins at her and returns swiftly to my side.

Mr. Powell frowns. "Where is young Mr. Hotchner's aunt?"

I use the chair arms to lever myself up before answering: "She's in Chicago on business."

Jack places the small cushion on the seat of the chair.

"And you are?" Principal Powell crosses his arms.

"As I said before, I am Dr. Jareau," I sit back down. _Sitting on a cushion is so much more comfortable than a wooden chair without padding. I wonder if that's why he makes the students sit and the parents stand?_

His fingers tap out a pattern on his arm. "What is your relationship to the Hotchner family?"

I smile benignly at him. "Our families are friends. I have known Jack all his life."

"Whore," coughs the little terror seated a scant two feet to the right of me.

I ignore him, as does his mother.

Mr. Powell frowns censoriously.

Jack's hand is wrapped around the arm of my chair, his knuckles going paler by the second.

I place my hand on top of Jack's and he relaxes his grip.

I continue speaking when Principal Powell doesn't say anything. "Mr. Hotchner and my sister both work for the FBI. I, on the other hand, am a Professor at Georgetown University."

"Principal Powell," The unknown man on my left says; "Are you finished with your interrogation of Dr. Jareau's standing? The boy standing with her obviously knows her, as do the other boy and his mother. Who else but a family friend would turn up to a school disciplinary meeting?"

I smile slightly at him before turning back to face the principal. "I have a letter from Jack's father detailing my ability to travel across state lines with him. Would that be enough proof? Or perhaps you would like to speak with Mrs. Cunningham, or Vice Principal Elliott? They both know who I am."

Principal Powell takes a deep breath and exhales before saying: "That will not be necessary."

The dark haired man next to me grins and holds out his hand. "Detective Alex Hernandez, of the 16th precinct."

I start to lever myself up to a standing position, but he stops me with a shake of his head.

"I don't want to make you stand on my account. I can just as easily shake your hand while you're sitting."

"Thank you," I sit back down and with a slight smile, swallow my fear and shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

His little girl peeks out at me from behind her father's legs.

Hernandez places a hand on the little girl's shoulder, "This is my daughter Serena."

Principal Powell clears his throat loudly.

Detective Hernandez smiles sheepishly, "Oh, yes. This is not the best time for introductions; my apologies Principal Powell."

Powell nods and turns to the mother and son seated on my right. "Mr. Dempster, what happened?"

Christopher crosses his arms and scowls. "The little bitch kicked my shin and swore at me! I didn't do anything to her! And I didn't do anything to Hotchner either; he punched me for no reason!"

His mother sighs.

Jack snorts contemptuously.

"Cállate!" Shouts Serena.

The boy points his finger at Serena. "See! She's swearing at me again! That's just what she said before when she kicked me." He grumbles: "I think my nose is broken."

I notice from the corner of my eye the icepack in his hand and that his nose is definitely swollen.

"Detective Hernandez?" Principal Powell prompts.

He closes his eyes for a moment before answering: "My daughter is not swearing, though what she said is not entirely polite," He looks down censoriously at Serena.

She crosses her arms and glares at Christopher Dempster. "I should have cursed at you! Papá, he cut off my hair!"

"I did not!" The terror shrieks back.

She stamps her foot, "You are a liar!

"No, you are!" He snarls and starts to rise from his chair.

Christopher's mother places a hand on her son's shoulder and he sits back down.

"Jack," I whisper, "What happened?"

He goes pale and shakes his head.

"Mr. Hotchner," Principal Powell interrupts, "Please share what you were about to say to Miss. Jareau."

Jack opens his mouth.

Detective Hernandez speaks before Jack has a chance to, "Principal Powell, her title is Dr. Jareau as she's said previously. Will you not do her the courtesy of addressing her by her proper title?"

"She hardly looks old enough to be a doctor," Powell mumbles under his breath.

"Catherine is brilliant!" Jack growls. "She's has had her PhD since she was 23! She-"

I squeeze his hand and to quiet him. "Now is not the right time Jack. Please tell us what happened."

Jack glares at his principal before turning to face me directly. "I saw Chris corner Serena just outside the boy's bathrooms. He ripped off her wig and cut off her braid before I had a chance to intervene."

"You're a liar!" Screeches the terror.

"Mr. Dempster, you will be quiet!" Roars Principal Powell.

The boy glowers but subsides.

Powell scowls. "Detective Hernandez, was your daughter's hair longer this morning when you or your wife dropped her off at school?"

"Yes," He nods. "It was halfway down her back. As you can see now, it is not. Also the wig-" He gestures to the blonde thing at his feet. "It is ruined."

Powell turns back to Jack. "Continue Mr. Hotchner."

Jack frowns. "I heard Chris say that she would look just like the picture in his hand if she would just hold still."

The principal sighs. "Where is this supposed photograph Mr. Hotchner?"

Jack answers solemnly: "He hid it in one of his pockets, Mr. Powell."

The terror shakes off his mother's hand and jumps up. "I did not!" He shouts: "There was no picture! He's lying! He cut the girl's hair off!"

"Be quiet Mr. Dempster!" Principal Powell turns back to Jack and asks more or less politely: "What was the photograph of, Mr. Hotchner?"

Jack shakes his head.

Powell crosses his arms. "Mr. Hotchner, I am waiting."

"I can't say sir." Jack mirrors his posture.

"Can't or won't?" He replies tersely before glaring at me. "Dr. Jareau, control your charge!"

I raise an eyebrow at him but nonetheless turn to Jack. "Jack?"

He flinches and refuses to look at me.

I take both his hands in mine. "Please tell me what happened, leibling."

"Sissy!" Hisses Dempster.

His mother pinches his ear and he yelps.

Jack bites his lip. "It was a picture of a little blonde girl dressed in an Alice in Wonderland costume."

I swallow hard.

"Just like Serena was dressed today, when she had the wig on." Jack refuses to make eye contact with me.

I nod and avoid looking at the little girl or her father. "Jack-"

Mr. Powell interrupts: "Why did this result in you punching Mr. Dempster, Mr. Hotchner?"

Jack straightens up and turns around, "I would have punched him for cutting off Serena's hair and threatening both of us with the scissors, Mr. Powell."

"But that wasn't the only reason was it?" Mr. Powell asks leadingly.

Jack clenches his hands into fists, "No sir. The little girl in the photograph had blood on her clothes."

"Continue Mr. Hotchner." Mr. Powell frowns at Dempster.

Jack holds his arms firmly by his sides. "That is all sir."

"It is not," Powell replies; "Or you would be looking at my face and not my shoulder."

Jack exhales slowly. "Respectfully sir, I cannot answer you without causing significant pain to others."

I blink in surprise, _he sounds like Aaron._

"Not even if I were to suspend you for the rest of the term?" Mr. Powell inquires with a glare.

Detective Hernandez rolls his eyes, pulls out pair of latex gloves from his coat pocket, crosses the room and stands between the dark haired terror and myself. He holds out his hand and says, "Hand me the photograph boy."

Principal Powell starts speaking: "Detective Hernandez, I -"

"No," Hernandez looks at Powell. "This photograph is evidence in the assault on my daughter. This is no longer a school matter."

Christopher crosses his arms; "You can't have it, it's mine!"

Mrs. Dempster groans: "Give him the photograph Christopher!"

"If the photograph proves to be immaterial then I will return it to you, but -" He holds up a finger, "If it is truly evidence then it will need to be bagged and processed." He gestures at me. "Judging by Dr. Jareau's reaction, it could be important."

The terror sighs and takes a slightly worn Polaroid picture out of his back pocket.

Detective Hernandez puts the gloves on before taking the photo from Christopher's hand. He looks at both the front and the back of the photograph and pales. "Mierda! Where did you get this photograph from boy?"

"Mom!" The boy whines.

His mother, her eyes on Detective Hernandez's face, shakes her head. "Answer the question Christopher."

He rolls his eyes. "What's the big deal? We were just play-acting. She wanted to until Hotchner showed up and then she started fussing."

"I did not!" Shrieks Serena.

"Christopher!" His mother hisses, enraged.

He sighs. "My nan gave me a box of my great uncle's pictures when we cleaned out her basement."

Detective Hernandez glances at the picture and frowns, "Do you know who is in this photograph?"

Christopher gestures at me, "Her."

I swallow the lump in my throat and clench my hands into fists.

Detective Hernandez raises an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

He shrugs. "Her name is on the back. Well, it says Alice Jareau, but she looks the same. Just older. And Hotchner recognized her."

Detective Hernandez looks at the back of the picture and nods. "Dr. Jareau, I am sorry but I need you to look at the photograph for confirmation."

I nod jerkily.

He holds out the picture towards me.

I take one second to look at it and gag.

Jack grabs the spare plastic bag from my coat pocket and holds it steady as my stomach heaves.

Detective Hernandez sighs. "Mr. Dempster, you will need to come with me. Mrs. Dempster if you would please accompany us."

"Mom, do something!" Christopher's eyes are huge.

"No," She shakes her head. "This is it Christopher. Two weeks ago, what you did was rude and uncalled for but Jack Hotchner didn't behave much better than you. This week you attacked a second grader with a pair of scissors! I am disgusted with your behavior. I don't know what you know about that disgusting photograph but I'm sure that the police will have questions for the rest of our family because of it. Why didn't you come to us when you found it?" She sighs. "Your father and I will be having a discussion tonight, and you will be attending another school as soon as possible. I know your father was hoping a military academy would straighten you out. I can only pray that he is right." She looks at Detective Hernandez and says miserably: "Please excuse me for a moment sir, I will need to call my attorney. I am sorry for the delay, but I need to protect my family."

Hernandez nods, crosses the room, and kisses the top of his daughter's head. "Serena, mija, go and fetch Carter. She's waiting in the hall."

"Yes Papá," Serena nods and runs from the room.

Powell slams his fist down on his desk and bellows: "Wait just a minute! I'm not finished here. There is paperwork to be filled out; both boys will need to be suspended. This school has a zero tolerance policy for violence."

Detective Hernandez interrupts and contradicts him: "No! We are finished for the day. Dr. Jareau is obviously feeling unwell and should not stay here. Were you not listening? This is no longer a simple school discipline matter; there will be a formal investigation. I will be escorting Mr. Dempster and his mother to my precinct." He stalks across the room, shepherding the terror and his mother.

Serena appears in the doorway with a red haired woman who must be Carter.

"Detective Hernandez," I call after him, slightly embarrassed when my voice cracks.

He turns to face me, his face not entirely clear of pity.

I swallow, "You'll want to call Supervisory Special Agent Katherine Cole, she's in charge of the Crimes Against Children Unit of the FBI. If you cannot reach her try Penelope Garcia at the BAU and use my name, she can put you in touch with whomever or whatever is required."

Hernandez nods and walks back towards us, "Thank you for the information, Dr. Jareau." He looks at Jack and holds out his hand, "You are a good boy, thank you for defending my daughter. Please make sure Dr. Jareau calls someone to take you home after Detective Carter is finished speaking with her."

Jack shakes his hand, "You're welcome sir. My uncle Will is a detective too, so we'll call him later, but I can make sure we get home safely."

Hernandez looks closely at my face. "Perhaps we should call you a taxi."

I shake my head. "No thank you," I murmur through the fog clouding my brain.

"Yes sir," Jack nods and helps me to my feet. "Come on Catherine, let's go talk to the nice Detective." He looks up at Hernandez, "She is nice, isn't she?"

He smiles down at Jack, "Yes."

Jack nods, "Good. So we'll talk to her, and then we can find your car, and call uncle Will."

I nod absentmindedly and allow Jack to lead me from the office.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading. Please review if you have something to say.


	2. Fallen Warrior

AN: Thank you for your reviews. This story will be updated weekly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Catherine Jareau is mine, along with any others you do not recognize. I do not own Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Witch Please Podcast or Harry Potter.

* * *

This is the end

Hold your breath and count to ten

Feel the earth move and then

Hear my heart burst again

\- Skyfall, Adele

* * *

October 14

A dark haired boy stands on the stairs in front of Jack. "Hey Hotchner, who's the babe?"

"What are you talking about now, Dempster?" Jack closes his book and stands up.

He crosses his arms. "The hot girl who just dropped you off at school; is she your girlfriend?"

Jack frowns down at the other boy. "No. She's-"

Dempster's loud laugh cuts him off. "I know! No one that hot would want to date you!" He frowns in concentration: "Well she can't be your mom, since your mom's dead. Is she your new step-mom? She is, isn't she? Damn your dad got lucky!"

"She's my aunt." Jack frowns and starts walking away, up the stairs.

"No way!" Dempster shoves Jack. "I've seen your aunt and she's old."

Jack stumbles but manages to catch hold of the railing. "Catherine married my uncle, which makes her my aunt."

Dempster looks thoughtful. "So do you think sh-"

Jack cuts him off: "Go away Dempster! We both have to be in homeroom in five minutes. And today Monday, which means Vice Principal Elliott will be doing the rounds. If you're late again you'll end up in detention."

"We'll talk later," Dempster huffs and walks away.

* * *

October 26

"Your aunt Jessica is away on business in Chicago and will be there for another week. I don't know how long I'll be away this time Jack, but you and Catherine can come back here if you've forgotten something important. Now, do you have your keys, overnight bag, and homework?" Aaron takes a sip of coffee from his mug.

Jack sighs. "Yes dad."

Aaron looks up from double-checking his briefcase. "Do you have your Halloween costume, just in case?"

Jack nods. "Everything is at the door. Do you know if Henry and Michael will be staying over too?"

"I don't know buddy, it will depends on your uncle Will's work schedule." Aaron locks his briefcase.

Jack nods again.

"Okay." Aarons sighs. "Now, we talked about what to do in the event of a panic attack last week."

Jack yawns. "You told me it might be worse or happen more often now because Catherine is pregnant."

"Do you need me to go over it again?" Aaron smiles sadly.

Jack shakes his head. "No, I remember what to do. I can sit nearby but I'm not supposed to touch her, and I'm supposed to call aunt Penelope not uncle Will for help if I'm worried."

"You'll do great." Aaron ruffles his son's hair. "Go grab your backpack and I'll drop you off at school."

"Oh and I'm not supposed to call uncle Derek either because he's taken Hank to Chicago." Jack's eyes sparkle. "Do you think they'll see Aunt Jessica there?"

Aaron smiles and picks up his briefcase. "I don't think so Jack, but you never know."

"Dad," Jack puts his backpack on and bites his lip. "You've been talking to people, right? I mean other people besides me. You've been telling them what not to do around Catherine?"

Aaron studies his son carefully before answering. "Yes, we've been doing that for years."

Jack frowns. "Well, what do you do if someone doesn't listen?"

* * *

October 31

2:00 pm

My head feels fuzzy; I think I'm in shock.

"Okay we're done," Detective Carter says and closes her notebook. "Thank you for speaking with me Dr. Jareau."

I remove the headphones from my stomach and return them to my bag. Then I use the table to lever myself up on to my feet and have to quickly grab the back of the chair I've just vacated when my legs threaten to give out under me.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call you a taxi?" Detective Carter frowns at me.

I nod silently and rub the side of my protruding belly.

"I could drive you home myself," she offers kindly. "Hernandez won't mind if I'm late getting back."

I shake my head. "No, thank you."

She sighs. "I understand your brother-in-law is a detective."

I nod.

Carter frowns. "Will you be reaching out to him? Or should we?"

"Please don't," I whisper.

"If you insist," she sighs, and opens the door.

I nod again. "I do."

Jack appears at my side the instantly. "Are you okay Kit Cat?" He whispers in Spanish.

I lie: "I'm fine."

He looks doubtfully up at me but nods once and takes my hand in his.

It takes a while for my unsteady legs to lead us to my car but it gives me time to come up with something to say to Jack. I have this whole speech prepared mentally but what comes out is: "I'm okay Jack." So I squeeze his hand in a vain attempt to reassure him.

"Are you sure?" He asks hesitantly.

"Yes." I lie again and hide the shaking of my hands by sticking them both in my purse in an attempt to find my cellphone.

Detective Carter knocks on the passenger side window.

I "eep!" quietly and mentally berate myself since I didn't notice her approaching us sooner.

Jack rolls down his window at her request.

I steel myself to answer more questions.

"Get in the back seat kiddo," She says to Jack. "I'll help Dr. Jareau, move into your seat and then I'll drive you both home. Do you know how to get there?"

"No!" Jack's tone is scared, but the words are firm: "Don't touch her!"

She holds up her hands. "It's okay kid, I'll be careful."

"No! Please!" Jack speaks hurriedly: "Please don't touch her! She's better now, but you'll make everything worse!"

I finally gather enough brainpower to make my mouth say: "Jack."

His head whips around to stare at me, hazel eyes wide and afraid. "Kit Cat, you can't drive but she can't touch you either!"

I close my eyes and lean my head back against the headrest. I inhale and exhale to the count of four for a full minute before opening my eyes again. "I can walk to the other side of the car." I turn my head slightly to look at Detective Carter. "Please don't touch me."

She nods. "Fine. Can you tell me how to get to your place or should Jack?"

I blink slowly at her. "It's programmed into the GPS. Just say 'take me home'."

She smiles.

Jack grabs my purse and climbs through the gap in the front seats to the back.

Carter walks around to my door, and pulls it open. "Jack you said your uncle is called William Lamontagne, right?

"Yes." Jack nods.

I lever myself out of my seat and walk around the car slowly.

Carter smiles. "Do you know what precinct or division he works out of?"

Jack nods, "Yeah, he works Homicide in the 11th."

"Have either of you called him yet?" Detective Carter raises an eyebrow.

I shake my head, "I'll be fine. No one needs to call Will."

Jack's snort is audible from the front seat.

Carter sighs.

Jack's head pops through the space between the front seats, "Kit Cat, do you want the Witch Please podcast again or do you want one of the audiobooks?"

"The first," I whisper.

Jack rummages through my bag until he finds my headphones. "Here," he mumbles and slips them over my ears.

I wrap my arms around my stomach and close my eyes to better concentrate on the words of the podcast, which helps keep my growing terror at bay. I am grateful Detective Carter doesn't say anything in the 20 minutes it takes us to get home. It allows me to preserve the illusion that everything will be okay.

* * *

2:45pm

Penelope answers her personal cellphone with a happy grin: "Cupcake! How was your ultrasound? I've been waiting a long time; when are you going to tell me if baby Jareau-Reid is a boy or a girl?"

"Auntie Penelope?" Jack's voice is hesitant.

Her smile disappears. "Jack? Why aren't you in school? Why are you calling me on Catherine's cell phone?"

Jack hiccoughs.

Penelope puts down her favourite pen. "Jack, tell me what happened. Where is Catherine?"

"She's in the bathroom," Jack's voice cracks. "She's locked the door."

"Okay," Penelope frowns. "Why is that a bad thing?"

Jack's breathing speeds up. "Catherine wouldn't let me call uncle Will or you from school, even though she was pale and shaking and when we got home Catherine went right into the bathroom, and she was screaming, and now she's crying, and it's all my fault! I told Mrs. Cunningham not to call her, but she didn't listen! I can't fix this, you need to send auntie JJ or uncle Spencer home right now!"

Penelope frowns and tries to put the pieces of the rambling puzzle into place: "Wait, doesn't Mrs. Cunningham run the main office in your school?"

"Yes." Jack nods.

Penelope closes her eyes and counts to three before asking: "Jack, were you fighting again?"

He sighs. "Kind of…"

"Oh honey," She sighs. "You can't kind of fight, you were either fighting or you weren't.

"It's not really fighting, I only punched Christopher Dempster once," he grumbles. "I should have hit him a second time."

Penelope picks up her pen again and fiddles with it, "Is this the same boy who-"

He interrupts her: "Yes…"

"Jack!" She exclaims, exasperation evident in her voice. "We talked about using words and not resorting to violence yesterday!"

Jack's voice raises as he tries to defend himself: "It was worse this time Auntie Penelope! This time he didn't just call Catherine names I'll never be allowed to repeat, he cut off Serena's braid with scissors, and he had a picture of Catherine! And then the detective wanted to talk to Catherine and she was so scared Auntie Penelope, but she wouldn't let me stay with her. And the detective had to drive us home because Catherine couldn't calm down enough to drive!"

"A detective? Jack what's going on?" Penelope is stunned.

"The little girl, Serena Hernandez, her dad is a detective. His partner Carter talked to Catherine. It was something about the picture, but I don't know any more!" He sniffles quietly.

Penelope frowns. "Are you telling me that that little terror had a picture of Catherine?"

"Yes," Jack mumbles. "From when she was little."

Penelope's voice is sharp: "How little, Jack?"

Jack winces at her tone. "Seven."

Penelope inhales quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," He nods. "It had her name and age on the back."

She exhales. "Jack, this is very important. Do you know where he found that photograph?"

"He said his Nan gave it to him, it belonged to his great uncle." Jack scuffs his shoe on the carpet.

"On his mom or dad's side?" Penelope swivels her chair around to face her monitors.

Jack shrugs. "I don't know."

"Okay, doesn't matter." She shakes her head. "Spell his last name for me kiddo."

Jack frowns. "Why? He's dead."

"Just do it!" Penelope snaps while holding her pen above a sticky note.

Jack sighs. "Dempster. D-e-m-p-s-t-e-r."

"Thank you Jack," She writes down the name.

He bites his lip. "Auntie Penelope can you send auntie JJ or uncle Spencer home now. Please?"

Penelope sighs. "Jack, they're already on the jet. It's going to be at least another 45 minutes before it lands here, and then probably another hour before they can get to you. I'm sorry, I can't bring them home any faster."

"But what am I supposed to do?" He whispers plaintively.

Penelope closes her eyes. "Jack I need you to listen to me very carefully."

He perks up: "Yes auntie Penelope."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Do you remember how to unlock the bathroom door?"

"Yes." Jack nods. "Catherine showed Henry and me how to unlock it after Michael locked himself in by accident."

She smiles slightly. "Good, go and get a butter knife from the kitchen."

Jack nods and does as he is told. "I've got it, but what if Catherine doesn't want me to go into the bathroom. Maybe she's on the toilet or in the bath."

Penelope sighs. "Jack, is the water running?"

He listens at the door for a minute before responding: "No."

"I don't hear any screams." Penelope frowns.

Jack shrugs. "She stopped just before I called you."

She bites her lip. "Is she still crying?"

"Yes." He nods.

Penelope types something on her keyboard and frowns at the monitor. "Okay, put me on speaker kiddo."

"Okay." Jack mumbles.

"Cupcake?" Penelope shouts.

Silence.

She tries again: "Open the door for Jack please, Cupcake. I need to speak with you."

A muffled, "Go away Penelope," comes through the door.

Penelope sighs. "I can't do that Catherine. Jack needs to check on you and the baby for me."

The reply comes quickly: "No!"

Penelope closes her eyes and pretends she is JJ: "Catherine Jareau, if you are not currently sitting on and using that toilet, you need to unlock the door right now!"

The reply is a firm "No."

"Then I'm going to send Jack in," Penelope's threat isn't an idle one.

Catherine's reply is a panicked: "No, don't!"

Penelope exhales slowly. "Jack honey take me off speaker phone, please. I need to talk to you."

Jack does as he is told. "Yes?" He mumbles into the phone.

"I will be there in forty-five minutes. I have to look for something and call your dad before I leave." Penelope starts shoving things into her purse.

"But!" He protests.

Penelope is resolute: "Jack Hotchner, I need you to unlock that door and sit with Catherine until I arrive. Do _not_ leave her side. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am." He mumbles.

She sighs. "Do you remember how we talked about JJ being more emotional when she was pregnant with Michael, and how near the end she was prone to crying for seemingly no reason?"

"Yes," he nods.

She continues: "And how it's the same for Catherine?"

"I know!" He rolls his eyes.

Penelope is stern: "This isn't one of those times Jack. Catherine has a very good reason to be crying and you must not touch her unless she says it's okay. Do you understand?"

"Um. Yes?" Jack frowns.

She nods. "Good. Now promise me you'll stay with her, even when she asks you to leave."

"I promise." Jack sighs.

"Thank you." Penelope smiles slightly. "Oh, don't let anyone into the house Jack. I have a key and I'll ring the bell twice before I unlock the door."

"I know. I know!" He grumbles.

Her lips twitch. "All right Jack, unlock that door and then you can hang up."

* * *

3:05 pm

"Kitty Cat," Jack whispers as he enters the darkened bathroom.

I sigh. "I'm fine. Please go away Jack."

"I can't. I promised Auntie Penelope that I would stay with you until she got here." He shuffles closer. "Can I turn on a light? It's really dark in here."

I rest my head against the wall. "You can turn on the nightlight if you must."

"Okay." Jack does so and turns back to me with a frown on his face. "Kit Cat, why are you sitting in the bathtub with your clothes on?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," I mumble.

"Oh, okay." He bites his lip. "I have an idea. Will you be okay for a minute? I swear I'll be right back."

I nod.

Jack rushes out.

I can hear his feet thump as he runs down the hall. I'm too exhausted to remind him not to run in the house.

When Jack comes back, he sits on the closed lid of the toilet, closer to the nightlight than me and holds something up.

I can't quite get my eyes to focus on the here and now so I don't ask what it is, because I know that I should already know.

"I brought a book," Jack says when the silence stretches out. "And a pillow for you." He holds out the pillow and I take it gratefully.

"Thank you," I whisper and place the pillow between my head and the wall.

Jack opens the book and begins to read: "Chapter Five: Fallen Warrior. 'Hagrid?' Harry struggled to raise himself out of the debris of metal and leather that surrounded him; his hands sank into inches of muddy water as he tried to stand. He could not understand where Voldemort had gone."

* * *

AN2: Thank you for reading. Please review if you have something to say.

AN3: The Witch Please Podcast is a favourite of mine. It's a critical reading of the Harry Potter books and movies done by two university professors.


	3. Will's Will

AN: Thank you for your reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Catherine Jareau is mine, along with anyone else you do not recognize.

* * *

Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The gentlemen are coming by.

Knocking on windows. Knocking down doors.

They need to take seven and they might take yours.

Can't tell mom. Can't say a word.

You're going to die screaming but you won't be heard.

\- Season 4, Hush, Buffy The Vampire Slayer

* * *

2:39 pm

Detective Carter glares at the closed front door and pulls out her cellphone.

Her partner answers: "Hernandez."

"Hey Alex," Carter sits down on the front step. "I've just dropped the kid and Dr. Jareau off at her house. I've got the name of the brother-in-law; it's William Lamontagne, he's in Homicide at the 11th. Any chance you can get me his number, please?"

He sighs. "Is something else wrong?"

"No," Carter shakes her head. "It's the same thing; Dr. Jareau is still not doing well. I do think they're planning to call the uncle eventually, but I can't stay here all day and it doesn't feel right, leaving them home alone."

"Sure," He nods. "I'll send it to you, just give me a minute to look it up."

"Thank you," She smiles.

He hangs up.

Carter's phone buzzes a minute later and she holds down the number to call it.

Will answers promptly: "Lamontagne."

Carter bites her lip. "Is this Detective William Lamontagne?"

"Yes," He frowns, "Who is this?"

"Good," She sighs in relief. "I'm Detective Carter, 16th precinct, white collar unit. I've just dropped your sister-in-law and nephew off at home."

Will scowls. "What are their names?"

Her brow furrows. "Excuse me?"

"What are the names of my sister-in-law and nephew?" Will snaps.

She blinks in surprise at his tone. "Dr. Catherine Jareau and Jack Hotchner."

"Okay, thank you," He sighs in relief. "Please, tell me what happened?"

"My partner detective Hernandez and I were called to his daughters school. When we arrived it became known that she had been bullied by one of the older boys in the school." She hastens to reassure him: "Not Jack of course, he was defending her."

"Of course he was." Will smiles automatically.

Carter grins. "Anyway, Jack stood up to the bully and punched the little shit when threatened with a pair of scissors."

Will closes his eyes and leans back in his desk chair. "As interesting as the play by play is, why did this necessitate you driving them home?"

Carter rolls her eyes. "I'm getting to that." She continues more cautiously: "When in the meeting with the principal and parents, my partner, Hernandez, found out that the other boy had a photo of Dr. Jareau as a child."

Will inhales sharply.

Carter continues speaking: "The boy and his mother have been taken in for questioning both on the assault and because the photo is supposedly a family heirloom."

Will swears under his breath.

Carter frowns. "Why haven't you asked me how Dr. Jareau is doing?"

"Because you drove her home. I have a very good idea how she reacted." Will scowls. "You didn't touch her did you?"

"No." Carter shakes her head, "Both Dr. Jareau and Jack were very insistent on that."

He smiles. "Good."

"I'm concerned about their safety," Carter's brow furrows.

Will raises an eyebrow. "You're not in the house are you?"

"Well, no." She sighs. "I'm currently sitting on the porch. Dr. Jareau refused when I offered to stick around and Jack wouldn't let me in when I knocked a few minutes later. Something about a pass code?"

Will smirks. "Yeah, and you don't know it."

"But you obviously do," She smiles hopefully. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"No," Will snorts. "Jack is a smart boy. He would know that you would call me when he didn't let you in. He's been instructed to call his aunt Penelope at the FBI first."

Detective Carter wracks her brain. "Would that be Penelope Garcia?"

"Yes," He frowns. "How would you know that?"

"She's one of the two names Dr. Jareau gave me, the other was Agent Katherine Cole from the Crimes against children unit."

"Shit! Okay, if Catherine gave you that name then it's more serious than I thought." Will stands up and grabs his coat. "Can you stick around for twenty minutes? I'm supposed to go off tour at three, but I need official clearance from my Captain before I can leave early. I should be there in fifteen minutes."

Carter looks at her watch. "Yeah, I'll just have to call Hernandez back and let him know what's going on."

Will walks towards his Captain's office. "Thank you. Oh and Carter?"

She answers: "Yeah?"

"I'll need a proper report on everything that's happening both with the boy's interview and what happened when you were alone with Catherine when I arrive, please. I don't want to do anything to make the situation worse." He stops just outside the closed door.

She frowns. "Um, okay..."

"Thank you." Will hangs up and knocks on his Captain's closed door.

* * *

3:15 pm

Will holds out his hand. "Thank you, Detective Carter."

"You're welcome." She shakes it. "Are you sure she's going to be all right?"

He nods. "Catherine has always been okay after all of her other panic attacks. He adds with a wince. "Eventually."

She nods. "If you're sure then, I'll get back to my partner." Carter walks down the pathway, through the gate and gets into the idling cab.

Will sighs and takes out his key. He unlocks both locks on the front door and pushes it slowly open.

"Jack?" He calls out to the silent house. "Catherine?" Will exhales quietly and locks the door behind him. He quickly searches the main floor and finding it empty, climbs the stairs.

Half way up he hears Jack's voice: "'Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!'  
Lupin was making Harry feel idiotic, and yet there was still a grain of defiance inside him.  
'I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there,' said Harry. 'That's Voldemort's job.'"

Will smiles and follows the story to the open bathroom door. He peeks inside and frowns at Jack's barely illuminated form. He knocks quietly on the door and Jack's head snaps up, his eyes widen and his jaw drops.

Will places a finger to his lips and beckons Jack outside.

Jack casts a fleeting glance at Catherine before hopping off the toilet and stepping out into the hall.

"Uncle Will!" Jack whispers and grins up at him. "I'm glad you're here! I didn't think you'd make it before auntie Penelope."

"Hello Jack," Will murmurs and holds out his arms.

Jack flings himself at Will.

Will hugs Jack tightly for a minute before releasing him and kneeling down so he can look directly into his nephew's eyes. "I already know what happened, Jack."

Jack flushes, "I-"

Will cuts him off: "What happened to Catherine is not your fault and I'm not mad at you. Actually, I'm pleased that you kept your head and got both of you safely home."

Jack sighs in relief.

"How is she?" Will gestures at the bathroom. "Is she talking or is she quiet?"

"Well, she was talking a bit before, but she's been quiet since I started reading." Jack frowns and rubs his arm furtively.

Will frowns. "What happened to your arm, Jack?"

"Nothing!" Jack answers quickly and takes a step back.

Will scowls. "Roll up your sleeve, Jack. This isn't the time to be playing games."

Jack sighs and does as he is told.

Will winces as he inspects the shallow cut on Jack's arm. "Did you tell anyone at school about this?"

Jack shakes his head.

Will exhales audibly. "You should have said something Jack."

Jack hangs his head.

"I'm not angry Jack, just a little bit disappointed. You should have told an adult that the other kid you were fighting with hurt you." Will closes his eyes.

Jack flinches. "Sorry."

He sighs. "Okay Jack, go downstairs. I'm going to check on Catherine and grab the First Aid kit. Then we can clean your arm and you can have a snack."

Jack bites his lip. "My dad said I was supposed to call auntie Penelope."

"And did you?" Will asks with a smile.

"Yes," Jack nods. "But auntie Penelope made me promise to stay with Kit Cat, even if she asked me to leave."

"That was good advice, but Penelope thought you would be alone for a while still, Jack, and I'm here now." He squeezes Jack's shoulder. "I need to check on Catherine and the baby. Please, go and eat something. Then you can come back and continue reading to Catherine. Okay?"

Jack nods. "Okay." He turns around and heads for the stairs.

Will flips the light switch.

Catherine flinches at the bright light.

"Hello Catherine." Will relaxes slightly and his lips tip up into a small smile at the giant black cat draped over her stomach and legs. He crouches down next to the tub. "Can you look at me, please?"

Catherine turns her head slowly, her eyes unfocused.

Will winces. "Look at me Kitty Cat. Eyes on mine."

Catherine's gaze trails up to Will's face and stops.

His tone is earnest: "I need you to say something, anything will do. I need to know you're still in there."

"I want Jenny." Her words are so quietly spoken that Will isn't entirely sure he heard and didn't imagine them. "Can you repeat that for me, please?"

Her blue eyes focus slightly and her voice becomes stronger. "I want Jenny."

"I can work with that," He smiles and holds out his hand.

Ever so slowly, Catherine stretches out her arm until her hand rests in Will's.

Will wraps his fingers around hers and closes his eyes in relief.

* * *

3:10 pm

Garcia sighs and presses #2 on her speed dial.

Hotch answers: "Yes Garcia?"

"Sir," she replies. "Something has come up and I need to be excused for the rest of the day."

"What's going on, Garcia?" Hotch looks at his watch and frowns. "It's only just after three."

"When Catherine went to pick up Jack from school she had a rather nasty shock." Garcia fiddles with her pen before continuing: "Jack called me hoping for assistance after they had returned home."

Hotch closes his eyes. "Are you taking care of the problem?"

She nods. "Of course sir."

"All right." Hotch sighs. "So, that's JJ, Reid, and me. Do I need Rossi, Lewis, or Alvarez?"

Garcia shrugs. "It's not a case sir, just a private family matter. Though respectfully sir, I would suggest not bringing Alvarez."

Hotch rubs his temples. "Okay, you're released from duty for the rest of today."

She smiles. "Great! Is JJ awake? I don't want to wake her up if she's resting."

"No," Hotch shakes his head. "She's asleep Penelope, but Spencer is awake if you want to talk to him."

"No thank you, sir." Garcia grimaces. "If I tell Reid anything before I have all of the facts he will drive the rest of you bonkers before you land and I don't want do be responsible for that."

Hotch snorts in amusement. "You're probably right. Good bye Garcia." He hangs up and sighs. "Dave."

"Aaron?" Rossi looks up from his chess game with Reid.

Hotch sighs. "I need to speak with you, please."

Rossi frowns and nods. "I'll be back in a minute to wipe the floor with you." He grins at Reid who snorts derisively.

"You've lost both of the last two games in under a half hour. You're off your game today, normally it takes me longer to beat you."

Rossi scowls and walks over to Hotch. He sits down, takes one look at his friend's solemn face, and sighs. "What's wrong this time?"

* * *

3:30 pm

Penelope rings the doorbell twice before unlocking the front door with her spare key. "Jack, I'm here!" She calls out into the silent house. Penelope frowns and after locking the door, checks the kitchen. When she finds it empty, she ignores the rest of the rooms on the main floor heads straight for the staircase. She rounds the corner and gasps; her hands fly up to her chest. "Oh my God! Will, you scared me!"

"Hello Penelope." He smiles sheepishly, "Sorry, I suppose I should have made more noise coming down the stairs."

Her smile turns into a frown. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you, because I am."

Will's smile dims, "No, you're not. But I know that I am a better choice to check on Catherine than Lewis or Alvarez."

Penelope winces. "You are, but -" She cuts herself off. "I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. I was going to as soon as I checked on Catherine and Jack. I dropped everything and came straight here. I didn't even start a proper search for the monster who caused this whole debacle!"

"You're forgiven." Will shrugs. "I know I'm not anyone's first choice."

Penelope flinches and changes the subject: "Where is Jack?"

Will smiles. "He's upstairs reading the seventh Harry Potter book to Catherine."

"How is she?" Penelope looks hopeful.

"She's coming out of it," Will's eyes light up. "She's managed two complete sentences and a few words here and there." He frowns. "I don't suppose you know where the audio recordings of Spencer reading books would be? Jennifer said that usually calms her down but Catherine isn't up for answering more than yes or no questions, so she couldn't tell me and Jack has no idea."

Penelope nods. "Yeah, there are a bunch of CDs on the lowest shelf of the bookcase in the nursery." She frowns. "Will, is Catherine still in the bathtub upstairs?"

He nods.

She sighs. "Neither of us can move her. Do you think she'll be okay until Spencer gets home?"

Will half smiles. "Jack brought her a pillow and Una has crawled in to the tub with her."

"Good, good," Penelope grins.

Will frowns. "She might need a blanket; you'll have to see if she feels cold to you. I wasn't sure, and she said no to a blanket when I offered."

Penelope smiles. "Cupcake won't get away with saying no to me."

"I know," Will smiles back.

Penelope readjusts her purse on her arm. "Are you going to pick up Henry now?"

He nods. "Yes, and Michael, unless you need me to stay? Maybe I should take Jack with me?"

"Hotch is coming here." She shakes her head. "Actually, that might not be such a bad idea. What if you came back to get Jack after you pick up Henry and Michael? I need to do some spelunking and I was going to leave Jack with Catherine while I did that. I don't want to find something terrible and have my glass face give it away where she can see me in an unguarded moment. I'll need time to compose myself."

"Okay," Will nods again. "I'll get Henry and come back for Jack. The three of us can pick up Michael together."

Penelope places her hand on Will's arm. "Thank you, Will."

"I'm happy to help." He smiles and then frowns. "Have you spoken with JJ or Spencer? I know their case is over but Jennifer said she was going to sleep on the flight home, so I didn't call her after Detective Carter called me."

Penelope nods, "Same. Well, I mean I talked to Hotch, and he told me that she was sleeping so I didn't call JJ either. And I decided not to tell Spencer anything until I had real information because-" she stops talking and smiles up the stairs, "Hello Jack."

"Hi auntie Penelope," He whispers.

She holds up two fingers. "Give me two minutes to talk to your uncle Will, buddy, and then I'll be up to check on you and our Cupcake. Okay?"

Jack nods and disappears.

Will sighs. "I should call Aaron and tell him I'll take Jack home. Do you know when they're landing?"

Penelope pulls out her phone and looks at the time, she smiles. "Right about now."

* * *

AN2: Thank you for reading. Please review if you have something to say.


	4. F-I-N-E

AN: Thank you for your reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Catherine Jareau is mine, along with anyone else you do not recognize. I do not own Harry Potter nor The Ballad of Tam Lin.

* * *

I've learned that people will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel.

– Maya Angelou

* * *

3:45 pm

I'm listening to Una purr when the bathroom lights flicker into life again. I flinch and wrap my arms protectively around my stomach. Una lets out an annoyed 'mrrt' and hops out of the tub.

"Good bye Una!" Penelope's voice has my eyes popping open. "Hello Cupcake!" She smiles down at me.

I struggle to get my tongue to move: "Penelope."

"Oh good!" She beams happily. "You're coherent enough to answer me. Were you just teasing Will earlier?"

I blink in confusion. "No."

Penelope and sits down on the edge of the tub. "Can I hold your hand for a minute, please, Cupcake? I don't want to try hugging you and end up falling in the tub and squishing you instead!"

I extend my hand slowly, my lips tipping up into a small smile.

Penelope wraps her hand around mine. "You're freezing!" She exclaims and drops her purse to the floor, pulls out a purple blanket, and drapes it over me. "We need to keep you warm!"

I close my eyes.

"Hey now!" She squeezes my shoulder. "Don't go to sleep on me just yet; I need you awake and talking to me. Look what I've got!" She holds up something small.

I open my eyes then narrow them in an attempt to focus, but it's still difficult to see.

Penelope must notice my problem because she brings the thing closer to me: it's a Discman. "I've got one of the CDs Spencer made for you and the baby. Want to try it out?"

"Yes," I mumble.

Her tone is hesitant, "Can I put the headphones on your stomach for you, Catherine?"

What I want to say is: _Why on my stomach and not over my ears? There's a splitter for the earphone jacks, we can both listen at the same time._ What comes out of my mouth is: "Splitter. Listen. Same time." I wrinkle my nose in disgust with my inability to communicate coherently.

Penelope nods, her smile fragile. "I need you to answer some questions for me because as soon as I leave this room I am going to find the monster who took the picture that upset you so much, Catherine. And I don't think you want the baby to hear my questions, do you?"

"My brain is fuzzy." I shake my head to clear it. "I don't know how much help I'll be, Pen."

Her smile turns sad. "That's okay, Cupcake. Just tell me whatever you can after you have something to drink." She holds out a cup to me.

I nod and take a sip and a few minutes later, my head begins to feel a bit better.

Penelope moves the blanket out of the way so she can stretch the headphones across my bulging stomach. She tucks the blanket back into place and presses play on the Discman. "All right, let's begin. I have a copy of the photo from Detective Hernandez. Do you need to take another look at it to refresh your memory?"

"No!" I give her a dirty look.

"I had to ask." She holds up her hands in a placating gesture. "Now, do you remember having your picture taken?"

I rack my brain. "There were always lots of pictures, Penelope. Video too I think."

She flinches. "What about on the day you were rescued specifically? Or were there other times you wore that outfit when covered in blood?"

I shake my head. "I don't like to think about that day, and what I do remember won't help you, Penelope." I bite my lip. "There probably were other days that I got blood on that dress, but maybe not on my front..."

"Okay, let's stick to the last day then." She sighs. "Tell me what ever you can think of, regardless of how helpful you think it might be."

I nod and close my eyes. "I remember watching Beth's throat being slit in front of me. I remember being sprayed by her blood… it was warm." I shiver. "I remember running away and being caught. I remember a cage and I remember that it was cold when Rafe carried me outside; I didn't have any shoes on. I remember Thea screaming; she thought I was dead." I open my eyes and grimace. "Actually, there was a lot of screaming, and then all of a sudden it was quiet."

"Oh Cupcake," she whispers in a broken voice, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," I murmur.

Penelope grabs a tissue and wipes her eyes. "Who is Thea?"

I look away. "Cathy. She was one of the others who survived."

"Catherine, look at me." Her tone is coaxing.

I turn back and expect to see more tears, but instead Penelope has a small smile on her face. "If she was Thea, who were you?"

My forehead furrows in confusion, _isn't the answer obvious?_ "I was Ace."

She cocks her head. "That's an odd name. How did you get it?"

I swallow, fighting my sudden bout of nausea and whisper: "A & C are my first two initials but Johnny said calling me Ay-Cee was stupid so they shortened it to Ace."

Penelope purses her lips together and nods slowly, "And the other child who survived; the little boy. What was his name?"

"Ry." I shake my head. "I mean Harry, but we never called him that."

She nods. "Thank you, Catherine. I'm going to send Jack back in to read to you, if that's okay." She stands up and walks to the door.

I frown. "You're not staying here, Pen?" _I want her to stay. I want to know what she finds out, no matter how terrible._

She shakes her head and says: "I need more space to spread out."

 _I know she's lying, but my head is still too fuzzy to figure out why._ "Tell Jack I want my book of Yeats' poems, specifically the one with The Stolen Child, not Harry Potter." _I'm not sure I could feel more miserable right now so I might as well find out if the poem will make me feel worse or not._

Penelope flinches.

I yawn and close my eyes again.

* * *

4:30 pm

Henry runs around the corner and barrels into his cousin. "Jack, are you okay?"

Jack wrinkles his nose. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Tommy said he saw Christopher Dempster taken away in a police car! And then I looked for you at afternoon recess and you weren't there! And Jason said you must have been suspended because he heard two of the kindergarten teachers talking about you and Dempster getting into another fight. Are you suspended?" Henry stands back and inspects Jack for any signs of injury.

"I don't know. I don't think so?" Jack frowns.

Henry tilts his head. "What happened?"

Jack sighs. "I'll tell you later, Henry."

"Okay. Come on, my dad is waiting," Henry grabs Jack's hand. "Are you still allowed to go trick-or-treating with us tonight?"

Jack allows himself to be towed along. "I think so, but I have to ask my dad when he gets home."

Henry nods. "Okay."

"You two should take a look outside," Will smiles at the boys and opens the front door.

Jack sticks his head out the door and calls out: "Dad!" He runs down the path and launches himself at his father.

"Jack!" Aaron catches him.

Henry gleefully shouts: "Mommy!" before copying his cousin's actions.

"Hello Henry!" JJ catches him with a smile.

Aaron leads Jack inside with a firm hand on his shoulder.

Henry wriggles out of his mom's grasp and walks over to where Jack and Aaron are standing just inside the door, his back ramrod straight.

JJ and Spencer tiptoe, unnoticed, up the stairs.

"Uncle Aaron?" Henry whispers.

Aaron looks over at him with a slight smile. "Yes, Henry?"

Henry bites his lip. "Are you so very angry at Jack that he can't come trick-or-treating with me and Michael tonight?"

Aaron looks first at Henry and then at his son: Identical pleading looks on their faces. His lips twitch. "No, not so very angry. But Jack," He frowns. "Tomorrow we will be having a long discussion about bullying and how to respond appropriately."

Jack flinches and nods.

Penelope walks around the corner and into the living room. She looks pointedly at Aaron before walking over to the couch and sitting down.

Aaron frowns. "Boys, I need a few minutes alone, to speak with the adults. Please wait downstairs."

"But," Jack protests. "I want to know what's going on!"

"Jack," Aaron's tone is firm.

He deflates. "Okay dad. Come on, Henry." He gestures for his cousin to follow him.

"Bye auntie Penelope!" Henry waves and grins at Jack. "Now you can tell me what happened with Dempster! Did you really beat the snot out of him like Joey said?"

Jack groans: "I only punched him once!"

* * *

4:37 pm

"JJ! Spencer!" Penelope greets them with a grin at the top of the stairs. She reaches out and pulls JJ into an embrace.

"Thanks for coming Pen," JJ whispers. "How is she?"

Penelope releases JJ and steps back. "Catherine is fast asleep." Her smile is forced. "Please don't wake her right now, she's exhausted. Also, I have things to tell you; I'll meet you downstairs in a couple of minutes." She passes Spencer on the steps and he places his hand on her arm. "Penelope?"

She looks up at him.

He whispers "Thank you," and hugs her.

"A hug from you! Don't I feel loved?" Penelope grins.

Spencer blushes and follows JJ into the bathroom. He smiles at the night-light but it's wiped off his face a moment later when his eyes adjust to the dim light and he sees Catherine curled up in the bathtub.

"She looks so small Spence," JJ whispers.

Spencer wraps his arms around her.

JJ hugs him back before stepping away and sitting down on the edge of the tub. "She used to hide in the bathtub all the time when she was little." JJ smiles sadly. "Rafe once told us about how someone survived a tornado, or some other natural disaster, because they'd hidden in their bathtub and from then on, that was Catherine's favourite spot when we played hide and go seek with Beth and then… after we got her back. She would hide in the tub because it made her feel safe."

Spencer frowns, "I thought her favourite spot to hide was under a desk?"

"That too," Jennifer grins. "But I don't think she'd fit under a desk right now."

Spencer snorts. "I'm not sure how she thought she was going to get out of that tub."

JJ winces. "She probably didn't think that far ahead."

He nods. "Penelope wants to talk to us and she looks okay right now. Maybe we should let her sleep."

"Okay," JJ whispers and leans forward to kiss Catherine's forehead. "I'll be right back Kitty Cat."

* * *

5:00 pm

"And that's it." Penelope stops talking and clenches her hands into fists on her lap.

Aaron murmurs: "Have you told Catherine yet?"

"No," Penelope shakes her head. "She fell asleep earlier, while Jack was reading to her, and I was researching in the next room. She's exhausted, so I decided to let her rest."

JJ frowns. "You should have told her. What if she wakes up in a panic again?"

Penelope holds her hands up before her friend can say anything else. "I only found answers while Will was on his way back from picking up Henry and you were already on your way here by then." She shrugs. "Besides," Penelope raises an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you rather be there when I tell her?"

"Yeah," JJ nods. "Did you or Will get out the audio recordings of Spencer?" She smiles slightly. "That usually helps."

"Yes," Penelope smiles. "I set it up, and it did help but-"

Spencer stands up abruptly, walks out of the living room, and opens the front door. He carefully picks up the Jack-O-Lantern on the porch and carries it inside. He places it on the kitchen counter and walks, as if asleep, back to the front door where he turns off the porch light. He ignores everyone still in the living room and slowly climbs the stairs.

Will leans over and kisses JJ's temple. "I'll go and get the boys. Aaron and I can take them out tonight if you want to stay here, Jennifer."

"I don't know Will," JJ sighs. "I need to stay for a bit and look after Catherine, but I think Spence would appreciate privacy tonight."

Will nods. "I think he overheard me tell Aaron that Catherine asked for you and not him."

JJ winces. "I will definitely give him a few minutes before going back up then."

* * *

5:05 pm

I open my eyes when soft lips brush my forehead. "Hello Spence," I smile sleepily at my husband who is sitting on the floor next to the tub.

He smiles back at me. "What are you doing in there my love?"

"I thought it was a good idea at the time." I cross my arms defensively.

Spencer raises an eyebrow. "And now you're stuck?" His lips twitch.

"Yes." I can feel my cheeks heating up.

His tone is teasing: "Would you like me to help get you out or are you going to sleep in the tub tonight?"

I wrinkle my nose and hold out my hands. "Up, please."

Spencer stands up before bending over and wraps one arm under my arms and around my torso. "Ready?" He asks.

I nod and tell my legs to straighten out of their current position, but they don't. "My legs aren't working." I frown at them in puzzlement.

"Are they asleep?" Spencer asks in concern. "Can you feel anything?"

I press my knee against the side of the tub and pain shoots up and down my legs. "Yes!" I gasp.

Spencer gets his other arm under my knees and lifts me up into his arms.

"Spence I'm too heavy, put me down!" I protest feebly.

He rolls his eyes. "You're not too heavy."

I exhale slowly, wrap my arms around Spencer's neck, and rest my head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're home," I whisper.

"Me too." Spencer carries me down the call and sets me down on our bed. Then he starts to build up a pile of pillows.

While his back is turned I whisper: "I told Penelope a little bit about what happened that night when she asked earlier."

Spencer stiffens slightly before responding. "And did she run away in disgust and fear like you thought?"

I shake my head. "No, she cried."

"Oh…" Spencer murmurs and turns to face me. "I'm sorry, Catherine."

"She only had tears when she was in the bathroom with me but I could hear her sobbing later in the other room, before Jack came back with my book, I mumble.

Spencer wraps me in a lose hug and changes the subject abruptly: "Which book did Jack read to you?"

I clench a fistful of his shirt in my hand and don't let go. "He started out with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but after I talked to Pen I wanted Yeats." I yawn and rest my head against his shoulder.

"You wanted to make yourself feel worse?" He frowns and rests his hand lightly on my stomach; a firm kick from the resident in my abdomen follows swiftly.

I grimace then shrug in response to Spencer's question. "I was already feeling pretty miserable and Jenny would have recited it tonight anyway. I thought hearing it earlier in the day might desensitize me slightly."

"Did it work?" Spencer wrinkles his nose. "And I thought Jennifer was going to read The Ballad of Tam Lin?"

I shake my head. "I don't know, and it's my turn to perform that one." I bite my lip, unable to disguise my nervousness. "Unless you'd like to join us? I know you've memorized it."

Spencer stills. "You've never asked before."

I tense. "You never seemed interested."

"It's your family tradition; I didn't want to intrude." Spencer looks away. "You always seem so sad on July 31st and October 31st and then happier again in the morning."

"Spencer," I grab his hand. "You are my family too. You would _not_ be intruding."

He smiles shyly and whispers "Thank you."

* * *

5:15 pm

There is a knock at our bedroom door.

Spencer looks up and I turn my head to hide my fear.

"Hello Jennifer," Spencer murmurs. "Would you like to come in?"

"Does she want to see me?" I can tell Jen is hovering in the doorway by the note of hesitation in her voice.

"Catherine?" Spencer whispers.

I nod.

My sister walks slowly around to the other side of the bed and sits down a little ways away. "Hello Kitty Cat. How are you feeling?"

"F-I-N-E." I spell the word out intentionally and immediately wish I hadn't.

"Oh," She murmurs, her blue eyes boring into mine. "Is that so?"

"No!" I answer frantically. "I take it back!"

Jennifer raises an eyebrow. "You can't do that," She reminds me.

Spencer frowns. "That was an acronym; what does it stand for?"

I shake my head, my face red with shame.

With a sigh Jen says "You know that he's just going to Google it or ask Penelope as soon as he leaves the room."

I turn my head to stare blankly out the window.

She sighs again. "Am I telling him or are you?"

I grit my teeth and shake my head.

Jennifer turns her head, locks her eyes on Spencer's and says: "F-I-N-E stands for: Freaked out. Insecure. Neurotic. Emotional."

"Oh," he whispers. "Catherine, you should have said something."

Jennifer looks significantly at my hand attached to Spencer's shirt. "I think she already did Spence."

I snatch my hand back as if burnt.

Spencer looks at me with sad eyes. "I'd almost forgotten you used to do that when you were more anxious than usual. I'm sorry. I should have noticed and said something."

I shake my head.

"Spencer, please give us a few minutes alone." Jennifer isn't looking at him; she's looking at me. I can feel her gaze, it's making my skin itch.

Spencer takes one look at my sister's face and removes his arm from around my shoulder. "I'll be back soon," he mumbles and practically bolts from the room.

"That was mean," I mutter grumpily. "I'd just gotten comfortable enough to go back to sleep."

Jennifer turns her icy blue eyes on me. "So you don't want to know what happened?"

I flinch. _Crap! I knew there was something I was forgetting to do: Terrorized victims don't ask many questions, stable, well-adjusted people do._

She nods. "You've gotten better at pretending, I'll give you that. You managed to distract Spencer long enough that he forgot to assess you. What did you say to him?"

I shrug. _I'm not entirely sure what I told him that would have distracted him so much._

Jennifer continues in a hard tone: "Better yet, what did you tell Penelope that has her looking like someone killed Sergio?"

 _Oh, that might be it._ Suddenly enraged, I glare at my sister. "I did exactly what you and Spencer told me to do, Jennifer! I told the truth about some of what happened that night!"

She flinches.

 _Somehow I don't feel better for retaliating._ "I'm sorry," I mumble.

Jennifer sighs. "I'm sorry too. I was scared when I heard something had happened and then I found you hiding in the bathtub. It brought up some difficult memories for me."

I can feel my cheeks getting warmer. "I didn't think I'd fit under a desk."

She laughs.

"What?" I growl angrily.

"That's exactly what I said to Spencer when we found you." Her blue eyes are dancing with mirth.

I cover my face with my hands.

My sister slides across the bed towards me.

I stiffen.

"Please look at me, Catherine." She sighs. "I haven't seen you in a week and the first word you say to me is: F-I-N-E."

I look up and am unable to stop the tears spilling from my eyes. "I saw the picture and I was back there, in that warehouse."

"Oh Kitty Cat," She murmurs and wraps her arms around me. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

* * *

AN2: Thank you for reading. Please review if you have something to say.


	5. Samhain

AN: Thank you for your reviews. I am a fan of alliteration and generally I manage to not overuse it in my writings, but sometimes I indulge myself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Catherine Jareau is mine, along with anyone else you do not recognize. I do not own The Ballad of Tam Lin.

* * *

You can choose to bury your past

in the garden

beside the tulips

water it

until it's so alive

it lets go

and you belong to yourself

again

\- Andrea Gibson

* * *

5:41 pm

"And then," Jennifer laughs. "The puppy got his head stuck in the lid of the garbage can!"

I giggle quietly.

"Hello Cupcake," Penelope's voice originates from somewhere to my right.

I lift my head from Spencer's chest in order to see her. "You look better," I murmur.

Her smile is fragile. "So do you."

My lips tip up into a half smile. "You said you were going to do research; what did you find out about the case? Did you talk to Detectives Hernandez and Carter again?"

"Yes," She nods and sits down on the edge of the bed. "The little terror is going to family court. And the local detectives will be speaking with both his parents and grandmother. I would love to be able to do more, but the problem is Cupcake, that it's not our case; it's not even really a case since the man is dead."

I frown in puzzlement. "You said man, not monster. What's changed?"

"It took more time than I'd like to admit, it's just my luck that the little terror had seven great uncles, and I had to check out every single one, just in case the photograph belonged to one that was still alive." Penelope exhales audibly. "Two lived and worked in the Pittsburg area at the right time: one was a coroner and the other an elementary school teacher, both are now deceased."

"It's Beth's blood on me. Isn't it?" I rub the faded, scarred, lines of Beth's name on my arm.

Spencer's arms strengthen their hold on me.

On my left, Jennifer flinches.

Penelope nods. "Most probably. The coroner great uncle, his name was Ian Chase by the way, was recorded as being on site on December 21, 1997. And when I finally found his case notes, he mentioned taking pictures of the three living children so he could look at them when he had to later preform autopsies on the seven dead ones." She winces. "He retired shortly after and died five years ago. I checked his medical records, it was cirrhosis of the liver."

My chest feels hollow and I nod in stunned silence.

She continues: "The detectives found the other two pictures and wanted to know if you would like to have them as the Dempster family doesn't want them."

I shake my head. "I don't want them either; burn all three of them."

"You're not panicking," Penelope frowns. "I thought you would be more upset..."

I lay my head back down on Spencer's chest with a sigh. "This outcome is better than I had any right to expect. It turns out there was no reason to freak out: The photographer was a man and not a monster. He took the pictures for a good reason, not a bad one. I had a terrible day but somehow managed to stop myself from going into full panic mode." I look first at Jennifer, sitting next to me, and then up at Spencer. "I guess you two were right; continuing to talk to someone about how to calm myself down really is helping."

My sister frowns, "Catherine, seeing the photograph was upsetting. You're allowed to get upset."

"I know Jen," I squeeze her hand.

"Can I have a hug now? Please, Cupcake?" Penelope whispers.

I disentangle myself first from Spencer and then blanket. Kneeling on the bed I hold my arms out to her and she swoops in to embrace me. "You have no idea how happy I am that this turned out to be nothing," She murmurs and presses her lips against my cheek. "I love you!"

"Love you too Pen," I mumble into her hair.

Penelope releases me with a grin. "I'll leave the three of you alone. I need to take my godsons and nephew trick-or-treating in half an hour!" She waves and flounces out of the room.

Jennifer bites her lip when she looks at me. "Kitty Cat, I know it's quite early but would you like some privacy to talk to Beth?"

I frown first at the clock and then at my sister. "Are you going to be able to leave me alone until it's time to talk to Jessie? That's six hours away, Jenny."

She flinches. "Maybe we can talk to her early this year. Or…" She darts an inquisitive glance at Spencer. "I could come back later?"

He kisses the top of my head and smiles at my sister. "You're welcome to stay here tonight, Jennifer. Though perhaps you would prefer to come back after you take the boys trick-or-treating and put them to bed?"

She nods. "Spence, thank you." She kisses my cheek and follows Penelope out of the room.

I turn my head to grin at him. "Yes. Spence, thank you!"

"You are most welcome!" He smiles back at me.

7:00 pm

I watch, enthralled, as Spencer's nightlight chases away the shadows creeping across the walls in our bedroom. "Hey!" I protest, with a frown when Spencer turns the overhead light back on. "What did you do that for? It was calming me down."

"Lift your shirt off your stomach for me, will you? I want to check on our baby." He kneels down beside the bed and mumbles.

I fight with my sleep heavy arms to roll my shirt up. "I know Savannah showed you what to do, but Spence you've checked three times in the past two hours."

He frowns and mutters to himself as he pokes, prods, and palpates my stomach.

"Were you planning to add MD to the string of letters attached to your name?" I smile up at him. "Any chance you're going to let me sleep any time soon? We have to be up again in a few hours."

Spencer ignores my questions and continues to mumble to himself.

I roll my eyes and leave him alone.

After another minute Spencer stops and smiles happily at me. "I didn't feel anything wrong." He rests his hands on the swell of my stomach. "I'm glad you're both okay."

"Me too," I place my hand on top of his and smile back.

Spencer turns off the lights and climbs into bed with me. "You asked for Jennifer," he murmurs.

"Hmm?" I blink sleepily at him.

He sounds distressed. "Earlier today, you told Will you wanted your sister. You didn't ask for me…"

I close my eyes and exhale slowly. "I'm sorry, Spence," I whisper. "I honestly don't remember saying anything to Will, never mind asking for anyone."

Spencer curls around me and presses a kiss to my temple. "Go to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up."

I snort. "I doubt it. I'm almost eight months pregnant Spencer; I look and feel like a beached whale."

His lips twitch. "Well, then you're an adorable beached whale who will feel less emotionally exhausted after your nap because you'll have slept in a bed and not a bathtub."

I laugh quietly. "You might be right about the second half of that statement."

"I love you." He kisses me soundly.

"I love you too," I whisper back breathlessly.

11:30 pm

My sister catches me loitering in the doorway to the library observing her preparations. Jen stops unpacking her bag and smiles at me. "Come in and sit down, Catherine."

I slowly make my way to the big wingback chair and lower myself into it. "Jenny, you've brought too many candles."

She shakes her head. "No, I haven't. We're going to do things a bit differently this year especially since Spence will be joining us," She murmurs.

"Are you sure you're okay with Spencer joining us tonight, Jennifer?" I ask hesitantly.

Jen sighs and sits on the arm of the chair. "I don't know, but it's too late to say no to him now. He's too curious for his own good." She smiles. "He would pace in the hallway and peek in through the key hole."  
"Probably," I giggle.

Jen wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Now, are you feeling better after your nap?"

I nod. "Yeah. I was exhausted and as soon as Spencer started reading one of his philosophy books aloud I was out like a light."

She laughs and kisses the crown of my head. "Have you spoken with Jack?"

I rest my head against her shoulder. "Yeah, Jack called after he got home. He said he's glad I'm okay and he wants to see me sometime tomorrow." I tilt my head back to look at my sister's face. "Jack also said Aaron gave everyone the day off. Was the case really that bad?"

"Yes," She shudders. "Though it's mostly because we've been gone for so long."

I wrap an arm around her waist and we sit in silence.

"Am I too early?" Spencer enquires in a soft voice from the doorway.

Jen smiles first at me then at Spencer. "Of course not Spencer. Please come in."

He hesitates just inside the entrance. "I wasn't sure if what you did on Samhain (sow-en) was different than the other times you talk to Jessie so I did some research while Catherine was asleep and chose a couple of things." He holds up a bundle wrapped in orange cloth.

"What have you brought us Spencer?" Jen smiles and beckons him closer.

Spencer glances at me. "I know the smell of cooking meat made you queasy earlier so I brought red apples instead." He lays his bundle on the desk and begins to unwrap it. "I've also got a black taper for the end of the old year and a white taper for the birth of the New Year. Rosemary for remembrance and…" He turns to me with a grin: "I brought you a green blanket so you won't be cold!" Spencer flicks it out and drapes it over my legs.

I beam at him.

"Green, Spence?" Jennifer's lips twitch. "My sister is already pregnant. Were you hoping for more fertility in the new year?"

He blushes.

I blush too but then a wicked thought enters my mind and I ask pointedly: "Where is your _cauldron_ , Jennifer?"

Spencer's brown eyes widen in shock.

My sister blushes fiercely.

I snicker.

She glares at me. "It's still in the bag. I didn't want to scare Spencer away!"

I grin. "You should get it out. We can put the rosemary in with the rest."

Spencer is looking uncertainly back and forth between us.

I hold out my hand to him and he crouches down on the other side of the chair. "When I was little Jenny told me that Jessie would steal one of our mama's black pots to put the candles in, so she wouldn't burn the house down. After our parents died and I went to live with Jenny, I went to a specialty shop in the village and found a small black cauldron." I grin at Jen. "I gave it to her as a New Year's gift that year, and we've been using it since."

Her annoyance disappears off her face and she smiles fondly at me.

"Will I get to see it?" Spencer asks curiously.

"I suppose so," Jennifer mumbles. She grabs her duffel gently pulls out a small black cauldron about the size of a large grapefruit. She turns to face us, cauldron cradled in her hands.

Spencer smiles. "If you're going to boil something in that, you'll want my Bunsen burner or a proper heating implement and something to protect the table." Spencer squeezes my hand and stands up. "I'll get that if you want me to, Jennifer."

"Are you sure you want to participate instead of just observing, Spence?" Jen looks curiously at him.

"Yes." He nods and holds out a hand to her. "I can also fill the cauldron."

She shakes her head with a slight smile. "We don't need a heating implement, nor water for the cauldron, but if you'd like to help, you could fill Jessie's ceramic bowl with water." She nods at the slightly lopsided clay bowl on the table. "Oh, we also need the Epsom salts from the bathroom; that's what's going in the cauldron along with the herbs and alcohol solution I've got in the Mason jar instead of water." She purses her lips and then nods. "Catherine brought me a new trivet earlier and I don't think we're missing anything else."

"Okay," Spencer nods. "I'll collect everything and come back." He smiles cheerfully at both of us and walks quickly out of the room.

Jen pinches my arm.

I rub the spot. "Ouch! What was that for?"

She says in a mocking tone: "Where's your cauldron Jennifer?" She groans. "Why did you have to say that? We were coming across as odd, but still sane until you asked about the damned cauldron! Who knows what Spencer thinks of us now!" Jen scowls at me. "This is why we don't invite other people to watch, never mind participate!"

I pinch her back and laugh quietly. "The look on Spence's face was priceless!" I grin up at her. "Yours was pretty good too. And eccentric is a much better word for us than odd."

She rubs her arm and huffs. "They're synonyms Kitty cat."

"Yes," I nod. "But eccentric has a much nicer ring to it."

She rolls her eyes and looks worriedly at the wall clock. "Give me two minutes of silence please, Catherine. I need to set up the table, we're running out of time."

I nod through my yawn.

Jennifer waves her hand in my line of sight to get my attention. "Look here, Kitty Cat. I've got three candles for Mama, Daddy, and Jessie. And three more for Beth, Thea, and Ry." She looks at me over her shoulder. "I also have six more candles in the bag for the others, if you want them."

Jennifer starts putting out pictures behind the candles: first of Mama, then Daddy, and Jessie, and then one each of Beth, Thea, and Ry.

I recoil in horror. "Jennifer, where did you get these?"

Her shoulders hunch defensively. "I collected those from the detectives. They're yours if you want them, but they can either go back into your file at the FBI or we can burn them tomorrow, like you suggested earlier. But not right now." She sounds resolute.

"You don't really want to see me like that, do you?" I shudder.

"Catherine," Jennifer tilts my head up with a finger under my chin. "I didn't see you until you were in the hospital and had been cleaned up. The rest of my memories of that time are vivid enough and I am sorry that you had an awful day, but Mr. Chase, the coroner, was right to take the pictures even if I wish he had been more careful in how he disposed of them, you survived and that matters. Tonight, that is all that matters. Do you understand?"

I nod and whisper: "I suppose we can say hello to everyone. It has been a while since I last spoke with them all." I sigh. "We're going to need more candles."

Jen leans forwards and embraces me.

I wrap my arms around her and hold on tight.

* * *

11:55 pm

I watch over Jen's shoulder as Spencer creeps silently back into the room and carefully places the bowl of water on the altar next to the cauldron, making sure he doesn't touch anything else.

Jennifer releases me. "Okay, it's time."

Spencer helps me to my feet and watches my every move carefully. "Your symmetry is off," He murmurs, and from nowhere produces a small glass jar with a tea light inside and places it on the table. Behind this, he stands an old framed picture of Rafe, Jenny and myself.

I whimper involuntarily.

Jen wraps both of her arms around me. "Shh! Kitty Cat, it's okay. You're okay."

"Did I do something wrong?" Spencer asks nervously.

"No Spence," Jennifer whispers. "I wasn't thinking. You're right, we should have included Rafe." She bites her lip, "Though maybe not with that picture."

He frowns. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

Jen tightens her hold on me, and then lets go. "That's the first picture we took in 1998. Rafe and I took Catherine skating at the park near the Philadelphia Children's hospital. That day was a complete disaster." She sighs.

"Oh," Spencer's shoulders hunch. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Spence," I whisper and reach for his hand. He laces his fingers through mine. "You didn't know and it's too late to change it now."

Jen raises an eyebrow. "You're ready?"

"Yes." I nod. "You can go first."

Jen nods solemnly and strikes the match; it bursts into flame. First she lights the large black taper for the old year and then the large white taper for the New Year. Jenny blows out that match and uses another to light the first set of three candles. "Mama, Daddy, Jessie," Her voice quavers. "We love and miss you."

I step forwards, strike the third match, and light the three candles in front of Beth's, Thea's and Ry's pictures calling out their names as I do so. I blow out the match, close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Sarah, Vicky, Tommy, Richie, Matt, Chester," My voice trembles, but I continue with my litany: "Rosie, Lottie, Lizzy, Rod, Nate, Topher, Johnny and Charlie." I sigh in relief, swallow the lump in my throat and continue: "I hope Jessie has been taking good care of you all and that you're not in pain anymore."

Jennifer wraps an arm around me, and waits for me to open my eyes.

Spencer strikes his match and lights Rafe's candle. "Rafe. Thank you for taking care of Jennifer and Catherine while they were growing up," he whispers.

Jen rests her chin on top of my head and waits patiently.

I nod once I'm ready.

She drops the final match into the cauldron and a small fire bursts to life. The familiar scent of sage and rosemary tickles my nose and makes me smile despite my current emotional turmoil.

We wait a moment and then whisper together: "Happy New Year Jessie!"

Jennifer helps me to sit down on the wingback chair that a hovering Spencer has helpfully pushed forwards. She sits on the left arm of the chair. "By the winter solstice you'll have a new niece or nephew, Jessie. Our Faerie Princess has decided that she wants to be surprised. I am not nearly as calm; I wanted to know the answer months ago! Mama and daddy you would be so proud of her and Spencer was and is a wonderful choice."

I rest my head against Jen's side. "Mama and Daddy I love and miss you. You would be so proud of Jenny; she's the best big sister, mom, and aunt anyone could ask for. Her boys are thoughtful and kind and her husband is as well."

Jennifer kisses the crown of my head.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jareau," Spencer murmurs from my other side, just out of arm's reach. "You raised three wonderful daughters and I am delighted to know two of them." He sighs. "I'm sorry I never got to meet you Jessie. Your sisters speak very highly of you." He reaches out to take my hand but Jennifer shakes her head to stop him from touching me.

"Beth," My voice cracks. "I miss you and I know I told you about Marie-Pierre last year, but it's been really nice to have a best friend again. I'm going to be a mom soon and MP, she's going to come and visit after the baby is born. I'm sorry I can't name this one after you, I think I'd burst into tears every time I had to say their name." I bite my tongue to stop myself from crying, but it doesn't work and tears escape my eyes, running in streams down my cheeks. "I had a terrible day Thea; I saw a picture of me from that night and I thought the world was crashing down all over again. I miss writing to you, Thea. I also miss your dimples; you hardly ever smiled but when you did, you lit up the whole room. And Ry, every time I read the Harry Potter series I pretend that it's you, and that you didn't die, you just had to cut off all contact with muggles." There's a rushing sound in my ears and it's becoming more and more difficult to breathe. "I see the pictures of the three of us and I don't know what to think. We all look so young and terrified and then I remember that no one else made it out of that warehouse and I just- I can't-" I cut myself off and a sob escapes.

I can hear Jenny say something, but I have no idea what it is.

Suddenly Spencer scoops me up out of the chair and cradles me to his chest. He murmurs something, but I can't hear him over the roaring in my head. I struggle to make out the words but when I wrap my arms around Spencer, I don't care what he's saying; I just know that I am home.

THE END

* * *

AN2: The service JJ and Catherine have is cobbled together of different Celtic and Wiccan traditions. This is what I believe a grieving JJ would have done after her older sister, Jessie, died.

AN3: Thank you for reading. Please review if you have something to say.


End file.
